Tory Leadership Debate – BBC Five Live interview
Rob McLoughlin discussed the outcome of the BBC’s Prime Ministerial Debate in a live interview on BBC Radio Five Live’s Drive programme on Tuesday 19 June, 2019.
Rob said that it was unique in post-war Britain to have just 160,000 people (the membership of the Conservative Party) choose the Prime Minister for a party with no majority. It was clear from the televised debate that no candidate wanted to risk a General Election with Jeremy Hunt saying it should only follow Brexit.
Normally an opposition would be claiming it was unconstitutional and that the Government had no mandate but Labour have so many other issues internally that the argument is not being advanced.
Rob talked about the complexities of making a tv programme such as this with multiple candidates and joked that the format would never replace Holby City which he said “can be curious but certainly has more drama”. He described how quickly such programmes are often assembled and how difficult they can be.
On one special with John Prescott and Michael Heseltine for Granada TV, Rob recalled how Ming Campbell became stuck in a taxi. Attempts to replace Campbell with another Lib-Dem MP led to the party to threaten an injunction to stop the broadcast as they wanted parity with Labour and Tory heavyweights.
Rob commented: “You have to take it on the chin when vetting of the audience goes wrong despite best efforts – the systems are never perfect.”  (This followed controversy over past tweets from one contributor to the Prime Ministerial Debate.)
Rob defended the decision to have no audience pointing out that balance across one single party was difficult to achieve. Individual audience members can sometimes stir the pot; Mrs Thatcher was famously caught off-guard over questions about the sinking of the Belgrano in an edition of Nationwide in the 1980s. Mrs Thatcher was said to have met her match when repeatedly challenged by a well-informed member of the public.
Drive is broadcast live from MediaCity UK.
Rob also appeared on the programme recently to discuss The Jeremy Kyle Show and ITV.

Rob McLoughlin speaks about the Jeremy Kyle Show
Rob McLoughlin discussed the tragic death which led to the cancellation of the Jeremy Kyle Show by ITV in peak time radio interviews on BBC Radio Five Live and on BBC Radio Wales.
He welcomed a Commons inquiry into ‘reality TV’ saying that ‘some good may come out of this tragedy’ as he also debated Kyle’s defence of the genre in interviews on Rob’s own radio shows.
He quoted examples from guests who had appeared on similar shows and claimed they had benefited but he recalled a conversation with one celebrity who had a ‘meltdown of sorts’ on Big Brother who he had privately suggested his planned appearance was ‘ill judged’. The celebrity eventually said the experience has been ‘cathartic’.
Rob said ITV were right to cancel the Kyle Show in the circumstances and argued that it probably didn’t match the brand values that channel aspired to.
The interviews were broadcast live and he has been asked to comment further on broadcast policy for other TV and radio programmes.
Rob was a Board Director and Senior Executive of Granada Television and a former Advisor to Granada Media and ITV plc.

Rob McLoughlin returns to the BBC Breakfast sofa – 14 April

Rob is back on the BBC Breakfast red sofa on BBC 1, Sunday, 14 April 2019. He will be reviewing the press as Britain’s future in Europe becomes clearer … or perhaps less clear!

He will be analysing the papers and what will (or will not) be happening to the UK and its relationship with the EU, and its effect upon the UK economy. The reviews are scheduled for 07.20 and 08.20.

Rob will also be looking for the light and shade in the UK media’s coverage of the weekend’s events.

BBC Breakfast is produced by BBC News from MediaCity UK and has more than six million viewers daily.

Rob McLoughlin on BBC Breakfast, Sunday 26 August 2018
Rob returns to the famous red sofa to review the Sunday papers on the popular BBC BREAKFAST programme live from MediaCityUK in Salford.
As The Pope visits Ireland, as President Trump proclaims the innocence of a leading backer on trial and as the Premier League gets into full swing, Rob will be looking for the fresh new angles as well as the witty and unusual stories of the day.
The programme claims a reach of six million viewers a day.
It is produced by BBC News and broadcast live on BBC1 and the BBC News Channel.
The Paper Review is scheduled for 0720 and O820.

Red Rum to run again!

The Virtual Grand National is back and this year features Red Rum racing again.

The Virtual Grand National, from CARM Producttions, will be broadcast on ITV4 at 8pm on 13 April, 2018, repeated Saturday morning14 April on  ITV4. The race highlights will be broadcast during ITV’s main Grand National coverage.

See the full story here and click below for the video trailer.